Businesses Look to Prevent Citizens' Assessments

To assess or not to assess, that is the question. For many in the business community, the answer is a resounding “no” when it comes to the possibility of paying significant assessments to Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. As more business owners come to understand the degree to which the state has advanced the public policy of placing the financial burden of hurricane losses on the backs of policyholders, more policyholders are starting to balk at the potential strain it could have on their pocketbooks. Nowhere is this truer than among business owners who are staring at the possibility of multiple assessments, which could spell the difference between being profitable or closing their doors for good.

For that reason, the business community has lined up to support legislation that would allow business owners to purchase a non-assessable policy exempting them from paying assessments to Citizens, the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund, and the Florida Insurance Guaranty Association. In exchange for paying higher rates, the policyholders would be subtracted from Citizens’ assessment base and exempt from paying any assessments levied by the insurer.